Food Delivery Favorite: Gab's Just Desserts

My trip to Italy was one of the most memorable adventures I've had to date. From getting lost in Siena to walking on the cobblestones of Rome and feasting on Naples's iconic Neopolitan pizza, I have wonderful experiences at each stop. One of the highlights of our Italy trip was indulging in Italy's amazing desserts. We went crazy with panna cotta and gelato. But one thing we missed was cannoli. Thankfully, there's Gab's Just Desserts.

Hello, Gab's Just Desserts.

Gab's Just Desserts is one of the few online shops that specialize in Italian desserts. The owners, having been based in Italy for three years, are very familiar with its sweet treats. And they figured that the boom of e-commerce is the perfect time to launch their dessert concept.

Have You Tried Cara Mia's Gelato Sandwiches?

Cara Mia has been one of my go to brands for desserts. Its superb Mango Cream Pie, Ube Cake and Strawberry Shortcake are just a few of the desserts I'm in love with. And last October, Cara Mia launched a new treat that would make everyone hooked for more. Anyone up for Gelato Sandwiches?

Hello, Cara Mia's Gelato Sandwiches.

Cara Mia is like a dessert fairy godmother with all the wonderful sweets it made for us to indulge in. And when this sweet tooth haven released its gelato sandwiches, I was beyond thrilled. 

First Bite: Sweet Inspirations

Sweet Inspirations has been around for a long time. I remember always seeing it along Katipunan when I have errands to do within the area. However, I never got the time to drop by. I figured that I could get my slice of cake elsewhere. But I had no idea that this place offers more than sweets. 

Hello, Sweet Inspirations. 

I dropped by its Hemady Square branch one Saturday afternoon and I was surprised to see a Mongolian station. 

First Bite: Chiara's

I have seen a handful of posts and reviews about this gelato place in Venice Grand Canal Mall. I got very curious when I found out that one cup of three scoops only cost PHP120. Three scoops of gelato for less than two hundred bucks? I was sold! But it took me a while to visit this place as the famous and green Grand Canal could be very crowded with… selfie sticks. But after having lunch at Nihonkai Tsukiji, we decided to hunt for more Pokemon and ended up in the newest tourist destination in Manila. Since we were already there, I figured that I should swing by and try Chiara’s.

Hello, Chiara’s.

The place was packed when I visited on a Sunday afternoon. The gelato store’s area is quite small and gets too crowded once five or six customers are inside. They do have al fresco area though in front of the store. I really wouldn’t mind dining outside if only it wasn’t so humid that day. 

First Bite: Peperosso

I love to stalk Instagram accounts that focus on food. Several posts make me drool like crazy on a daily basis and when the restaurants that serve those delectable dishes are within my turf, I try to pass by as soon as possible. One of the restaurants featured by a certain food app was Peperosso and it sure made me curious. I immediately messaged my looloo friends R and W and after a few adjustments with our schedules, we finally went.

Hi, Peperosso! 

The place was pretty empty on a Tuesday night. R and I went to the second floor for the servers said that it's the coldest area of the restaurant. 

There was only one other table occupied when we got there and they were having a rather interesting discussion about the latest elections. 

Anyway, since W will be arriving late, R and I decided to order ahead and went with Tartufo (PHP385), Parma Ham and Arugula (PHP290, solo) and Peperosso (PHP300, solo). 

Service was quick and our pasta and Parma Ham and Arugula pizza arrived in less than 15 minutes. The Peperosso pizza arrived 10 minutes after. 

The Peperosso which has ham, mozzarella, spinach, egg, mushroom and Evo as toppings was pretty good. It was a bit oily but flavorful. The crusts were a tad burnt making the dish bitter. 

The Parma Ham and Arugula pizza was slightly bitter too because of the crust and arugula. But the parma ham balanced it with its natural saltiness. 

First Bite: UCC Clockwork

Estancia is becoming a foodie destination with more and more restaurants opening. One of the restaurants that caught my attention was UCC Clockwork which apparently isn’t that new anymore. (I really have to explore the south!) But since I’ve never tried its famous corned beef, I had to visit.

Hello, UCC Clockwork!

The charming café/restaurant had a warm and cozy vibe; but what really attracted us was the buy one, take one cocktails (a deal they offer on Fridays).

Aside from our Lychee Mojito (PHP220), we ordered Mushroom Truffle (PHP150) and Pumpkin Soup (PHP120). We also got Fresh Corned Beef with Kimchi Rice (PHP350), Threesome Breakfast (PHP380) and Clockwork Cookie Cup Screams (PHP190).

The Lychee Mojito was refreshing but the lychee’s taste overpowered the rhum making it taste like juice.

Next served were our warm bowls of soup.

I wasn’t able to take a photo of F’s bowl but he finished his without any complaint so I’m assuming that it tasted okay. My soup on the other hand wasn’t the creamy kind that I like. It was just okay but I enjoyed it with the complimentary buttered bread.

Restaurant Discovery: Kettle

I really have this thing for new restaurants. I get so excited every time I find out that a new restaurant is opening soon near my place. By near I mean Shangri-La, Megamall, Capitol Commons, and Kapitolyo. While I was trying to resist my foodie urges in the States, I was busy doing "research" on the new restaurants. One of the new places that caught my fancy was Kettle at Shangri-La's East Wing.

Hello Kettle! 

I met up with my good friend M for dinner for some intense catching up. I insisted that we have dinner there as I have to try its famous fried chicken.

Ordering was a breeze too as I know what I want. I ordered the Smoked Salmon Salad (PHP250), Buttermilk Fried Chicken (PHP519), and Calamari (PHP329). For dessert, we originally wanted to get the Checkered Cake but they ran out so we went for the Pistachio Cake instead (PHP229).

Service was pretty quick as our salad and calamari were served within 15 minutes. 

The salad was drizzled with black pepper for additional taste. The serving itself was pretty generous and I enjoyed it a lot. I would have enjoyed it more if there were more salmon though. The dill ranch dressing has that tangy taste that would make you eat more!

The calamari though seemed typical for me. It's your usual fried and breaded squid.

Ferrero Quadruplet!

I was so surprised when I found out that there is actually a dark chocolate Ferrero. I hurriedly emailed my mom (who was in the States then) to buy me a box (or two). I decided to check the net to read reviews about the dark chocolate version as to make realistic expectations (huh?). To my surprise (again!), there are actually more flavors!!! Aside from the hazelnut and dark chocolate, there are also coconut and pistachio flavors! And since I was too excited to try all those flavors and could not wait for my mom, I decided to check supermarkets and all other possible places that sell Ferrero. Alas, I was unsuccessful. Even the two Duty Free in Cebu do not carry it. (Sad T.T)

Finally, OCTOBER 26, 2010, my mom arrived with Ferrero boxes (less the pistachio variant). I munched on the dark chocolates and I was… disappointed. I was expecting something a bit bitter… what dark chocolates were supposed to be. It was on the sweet side and my initial reaction was “THIS IS TOO SWEET TO BE CONSIDERED DARK CHOCOLATE” but I loved it nonetheless. There was no nut though so the crunch factor was lesser L Its inner chocolate is very velvety though. YUM!

As for the coconut, a lot of people DO NOT like it at all. And I… am not one of them. It was rather interesting. It reminded me of macaroons with the tidbits of coconut. The coconut gave this Ferrero a different texture. It also complements the white chocolate. I am not so sure though if the market for this is huge.

The pistachio on the other hand is something I would not crave that much. It also does not have a nut inside (like the dark chocolate and the coconut) but the outer “shell” is covered by bits of pistachio thus the flavor. I guess, I am just not fond of pistachio. It has this strong vanilla taste which I find a bit odd.

I do not think that I have to describe hazelnut since this is the most popular flavor.

<3

 Pictures of the WHOLE DARK CHOCOLATE, COCONUT and PISTACHIO FERRERO :)